Category: Drinking

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My Dog Has Probably been To More Breweries Than You

Toby with a beer at Denver Beer Co. (Downing)
Toby with a beer at Denver Beer Co. (Downing)

My dog Toby joins me on most of my visits to breweries. Here are some of his adventures.

NOTE: This is a new version of this page. The old page with Fabi and Lucy is here.

BreweryLocationDate VisitedPhoto
Strange Craft Beer Co.Denver, CO2023-08-31
Kodiac BrewingCentennial, CO2023-09-01
Locavore Beer WorksLittleton, CO 2023-09-02
Sunroom Brewing Englewood, CO2023-09-02
Chain Reaction Brewing CompanyDenver, CO2023-09-02
Public Offering Brewing Co. Denver, CO 2023-09-02
Grandma’s HouseDenver, CO2023-09-02
Platt Park BrewingDenver, CO2023-09-03
Denver Beer Co. (Downing)Denver, CO 2023-09-03
Ratio Beerworks OverlandDenver, CO2023-09-03
Diebolt Brewing CompanyDenver, CO2023-09-04
Denver Beer Co. (Lowry)Denver, CO2023-09-04
BrewabilityEnglewood, CO2023-09-07
Green Mountain Beer CompanyLakewood, CO2023-09-09
WestFax Brewing CompanyLakewood, CO2023-09-09
Sanitas Brewing Co. EnglewoodEnglewood, CO2023-09-22
Joyride Brewing CompanyEdgewater, CO2023-09-30
4 Noses Brewing Company (Park Hill)Denver, CO2023-10-05
Resolute Brewing CompanyCentennial, CO2023-10-06
Barrels & Bottles at Camp George WestGolden, CO2023-10-07
The Emporium Brewing CompanyDenver, CO2023-10-14
Coal Mine Avenue Brewing CompanyLittleton, CO2023-10-21
Woods Boss Brewing CompanyDenver, CO2023-11-10
Monolith BrewingDenver, CO2023-11-10
Vortex Alley BrewingPonca City, OK2023-11-22
Denver Beer Co.Littleton, CO2023-12-09
Comet BrewsLittleton, CO2023-12-09
Alpine Dog Brewing CompanyDenver, CO2023-12-16
Long Table BrewhouseDenver, CO 2023-12-16
Living The Dream Brewing CompanyHighlands Ranch, CO2023-12-29

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Halloween 2018

Rastifarian Fabi
Rastifarian Fabi

Lucy Borrowed Millie's Unicorn Horn
Lucy Borrowed Millie’s Unicorn Horn

Lucy the Witch
Lucy the Witch

Lindsay And Butters
Lindsay And Butters On Halloween

The Brew On Broadway (The BoB) threw an impromptu doggie Halloween costume contest. I originally was going to dress Lucy as a Pirate with a peg leg but when I went to spray paint the styrofoam leg I forgot that spray paint withers styrofoam away to nearly nothing. She went as a witch instead while Fabi was a Rastifarian. Neither of them were happy about wearing costumes even if Fabi did win second place (somehow).

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Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018

I travelled out to San Francisco for the Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament. I had a fantastic time at AT&T Park watching the best sevens rugby teams in the world play for the title of World Champion in Sevens Rugby. The New Zealand men and women’s teams both won the title this year.

I also explored the Mission District of San Francisco and some of the local craft breweries, as one would expect me to do.

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Mom And Dad

Mom And Dad
Mom And Dad

Holy crap, this was a crazy fun ride! Nicolas Cage was at his finest here as a part of the cast, not as the “star” of the film. There were sufficient amounts of Nic Cage crazy without overwhelming (and ruining) the rest of the plot. I realize the bar is set pretty low, but I feel this is the best film with Nic Cage (ever?).

About a third of the way into the film we start to see that something is wrong with the world. Not the most original plot point, for sure, but I enjoyed the way that something is visible peripherally to the story. There’s no obvious cause or solution, just a problem that must be dealt with as everyone begins to understand that parents suddenly have an overwhelming urge to kill their children. Not ALL children, just their own offspring.

One of the pull quotes from the film’s poster describes it as “… a twisted remake of ‘Home Alone’ on bath salts.” That feels very accurate. The kids have to deal with parents who suddenly want to kill them. The film doesn’t just present the adults as homicidal zealots, either. They carefully plan how to murder their children without any inkling that it is wrong. The parents are aware that others are killing their children, too, but dismiss it as a natural thing to do.

I laughed inappropriately at much of the last half of the movie, partly as a stress release after one particularly anxious scene at the hospital when Selma Blair’s character’s sister gives birth during the crisis. The writer and director, Brian Taylor, shoots the film in a decidedly different, almost trippy, style. I loved it!

Beers I paired with the film: Fiction Brewing Malice and Darkness, Odyssey Beerwerks Psycho Penguin Vanilla Porter

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Vortex Alley Brewing Company

Vortex Alley Brewing Company
Vortex Alley Brewing Company

Ponca City has a craft brewery!

I stopped in on Wednesday afternoon to check out their beers and was pleasantly surprised. I was also hopeful for their success as at 3:30 PM they were nearly full of patrons. Yes, I understand the brewery had only been open a couple weeks at this point so there was the “new factor” in play, but still optimistic for their long-term success. Their smoked stout was good and the specialty holiday beer, a cranberry gose, was also quite tasty. In fact, I took home a growler to share with the family.

We returned on Saturday night to another packed house and a sure sign of potential success for a new brewery: running out of beer. Several of the varieties were gone by Saturday evening, including the wheat beer that I assumed my father would be able to drink… he thinks most craft beers are “too wangy”.

I don’t envy the owners in gauging the ongoing demand for their product in an area where people will drive 20+ miles to shop at WalMart because they have green beans for a nickel per can cheaper. I also don’t envy their having to navigate Oklahoma’s strange and obscure liquor laws. Nobody under 21 years of age can enter the premises, even just to deliver food; apparently they cannot open on Sunday; closing time is 9 PM; growlers must be sealed with tape (???). I suppose the people of Oklahoma should be happy they can actually consume the product on the premises, something that wasn’t allowed before this year. I also understand there are more taproom-friendly law changes coming in 2018.

Opening over a holiday weekend ensures good crowds but puts the pressure on to keep plenty of beer on-hand. They have also already learned that food trucks often cancel at the last minute, and my question about bringing my dogs in the taproom had not yet been anticipated. Judging from photos online they did allow a small dog inside later. One of my favorite aspects of Colorado breweries is an outdoor patio area but I don’t know where they would put a patio in their limited space.

I wish them nothing but continued success and pan to return over the Christmas holidays.

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Resolute Brewing Company

I took my dogs to a new-to-me brewery in Centennial on Sunday, Resolute Brewing Company. They have been open almost exactly a year so far and feature a medium-size tap room with both a patio and extra tables in the grassy area next to the patio. It’s a nice setup and very dog friendly. There were already three other dogs when we arrived.

The beers were solid and the bartender was friendly enough, in fact he forgot to ring in my purchases initially so I had to inform his replacement what I consumed when I tabbed out!

Resolute is a bit of drive through busy areas of Denver and the DTC so I don’t know how often I will visit (have to navigate back home afterwards) but I will keep it in mind when looking for a change of pace.

Lucy On The Patio At Resolute Brewing
Lucy On The Patio At Resolute Brewing

The girls on the patio at Resolute Brewing
The girls on the patio at Resolute Brewing

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Very Nice Brewing Company

We attempted to hike up near Eldora on Saturday morning where I thought that the forecast was not calling for rain.  We hiked for about an hour through some light rain until the floodgates opened wide.  Luckily there is a brewery in Nederland (seriously, in most places in Colorado there is likely to be at least one brewery nearby).  I’ve always wanted to stop at Very Nice Brewing Company but rarely found myself in the area.  With the rainy day we had the perfect opportunity to try out this extremely dog friendly spot.  The taproom is  certainly no-frills but is backed by very good beers.  My favorite of the day was the Logical Fallacy, a black IPA that was served with a shot of espresso.

I also had a nice conversation about rugby with one of the patrons who noticed my Canada Sevens hat, and said hello to numerous pups.

Fabi At Very Nice Brewing Company
Fabi At Very Nice Brewing Company

Fabi At Very Nice Brewing Company
Lucy At Very Nice Brewing Company

Rainy Afternoon In Nederland
Rainy Afternoon In Nederland

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War For The Planet Of The Apes

War For the Planet Of The Apes poster at Alamo Drafthouse Littleon
War For the Planet Of The Apes poster at Alamo Drafthouse Littleon

If you like sci-fi monkey movies this one’s for you.

Despite great performances from motion-captured actors like Andy Serkis and Steve Zahn, it’s still CG. The violence against “animals” (and people) is easy enough to dismiss as fake but it still makes one question why we can’t all just get along and need to bring guns in as a solution. I suppose that’s the point of a “War” film, though, and I guess you have to write to the most common denominator in your audience demographic.

At least the writers tried to make the script interesting and I admit I didn’t see the twist with Woody Harelson’s character coming until right as it occurred. That twist does attempt to explain a certain aspect of the films (both this new trilogy series and the original series from the seventies). I appreciate attention to details when it doesn’t hit you over the head.

Harelson’s Colonel character is one of the few non-CG actors in the film, although his scenes try too hard to paint him as crazed and “off the rails” and the dialogue falls flat. The script does tie up this whole Planet trilogy to a point where there doesn’t need to be another film (or series of films)… but you know Hollywood: there will be at least three more.

Bottom line: good summer entertainment as long as you are not expecting more than CG apes blowing shit up.